Updated Sunday 11AM: Facebook statement from M&M USA - "The recent actions by Kyle Busch are not consistent with the values of M&M'S and we're very disappointed. Like you, we hold those who represent our brand to a higher standard and we have expressed our concerns directly to Joe Gibbs Racing."
Saturday evening a letter was released via the Kyle Busch website. It referenced the incident in Friday night's race and other issues associated with his being parked for the entire weekend at the Texas Motor Speedway.
Here is the text:
To all,
I've had a lot of time today to sit and reflect, and try to put my thoughts into words as best I can. I want to sincerely apologize for my actions during Friday night's Truck Series race at Texas.
I apologize to my fans, all my sponsors, everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing and Kyle Busch Motorsports. After talking with my team, it's great to have their support and encouragement to assure me that there are better days ahead. Even though this took place while driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports, I am sorry for how difficult this has been for everyone associated with Joe Gibbs Racing's Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series teams.
I'd also like to apologize to Ron Hornaday Jr. and everyone associated with the No. 33 team in the Truck Series. I understand why I was taken out of the car for the rest of the weekend. NASCAR officials had to act, and I accept their punishment and take full responsibility for my actions.
As a race car driver, the hardest thing to do is to sit on the sidelines listening to cars on the track when you know you should be out there competing. For this, I have no one to blame but myself.
Through a lot of support from the people around me, I feel like I've made a lot of strides this year, but this was certainly a step backward. Moving forward, I will do everything I possibly can to represent everyone involved in a positive manner. However, I know my long-term actions will have more of a bearing than anything I say right now.
Sincerely,
Kyle Busch
All of that serves to set-up Kyle Petty and Kenny Wallace to offer comments on this situation on SPEED's RaceDay show. Sunday at noon the network gets two hours before ESPN hits the air with the pre-race to discuss this topic.
ESPN2's NASCAR Now show is buried at 9AM on Sunday morning. Mike Massaro has Ricky Craven in the studio with Shannon Spake and Marty Smith at the Texas Motor Speedway. Craven's comments will be interesting, but the timeslot is not.
Instead, it will be Petty and Wallace front and center for two hours. Saturday, Wallace tweeted that he will be telling his opinion of the situation with Busch, but that was before the public letter or apology was released. Wallace finished 13th in Saturday's Nationwide Series race.
Few of NASCAR's media personalities have a higher profile right now than Kyle Petty. Unlike Darrell Waltrip and Dale Jarrett, Petty is on the air every week on multiple platforms. RaceDay on SPEED, Inside NASCAR on Showtime and even 30 Minutes You Won't Get Back on NASCAR.com are all in addition to his highest-profile TV position as the Lead Analyst for the six TNT Sprint Cup Series races.
Petty has a very unique perspective on these types of issues and has been speaking his mind this season without reservation on key NASCAR issues. One aspect of Petty's interaction with NASCAR fans has been his ongoing Twitter conversations. Petty is blunt and to the point with fans who ask questions on more topics than any TV show could handle. He tweets constantly during the RaceDay show.
Wendy Venturini and Hermie Sadler are the reporters for RaceDay. While both have deep personal ties to the sport, they have shown the ability to chase down stories and often use those same connections for access. Sunday's show should be a good indicator of those abilities.
This post will serve to host your comments about the Sunday TV coverage of the Kyle Busch incident, subsequent parking and public apology. To add your comments on this topic, just click the comments button below. Thanks for stopping by.
I normally do not watch Raceday, but I have my alarm set early to make sure I get to see it this time. On aSirius/XM NASCAR's Dialed In today after the NNS race, Kenny told Claire B Lang that he was going to "rip him a new one" referring to Kyle Busch. That should be the frosting on Kyle Petty's cake!
ReplyDeleteI saw a lot of tweets during the SPEED WoO races from Kyle Busch fans saying they were going to not watch the race.
The kid is a brat........Period the end. I would like to see NASCAR park him for the remainder of the year and/or Coach fire him........
ReplyDeleteSomebody wrote KB a nice letter. So much BS I can smell it from here. MC
ReplyDeleteAnon @ 6:11, that's what publicists get paid to do.
ReplyDeleteDuring coverage yesterday, Kyle Petty said that he thought Busch should have been parked for the rest of the year. Be interesting to see if he changes his tune today.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to hear what Kyle Petty says about it. Immediately after the hit to Hornaday on Friday night, Phil Parsons spoke up and said KyBusch should be parked for the whole weekend. Suppose Nascar agreed with him. Maybe this will teach Busch a lesson, but I doubt it!
ReplyDeletethat letter is a crock of blank & I can smell it from here. be interested to hear KW's take & I haven't said that in a looooooong while.
ReplyDeleteIt's great that Kyle Petty doesn't
ReplyDeletehave a dog in the fight and can
be truthful, unless NA$CAR would
SPEED tone him down. I don't think
Petty would cave. One thing I don't understand is with the
credentials that Ric Wrenn has,
why would he want to be a part of
Kyle Busch Motorsports drama?
Whether you like him or not, imagine how boring it would be around NASCAR if we didn't have Kyle Busch. Like Dale Sr., part of the fans watch hoping he wins and many others watch in the hope he gets his tail beat (literally and figuratively). Who wants to watch a bunch of vanilla politically correct drivers follow each other for 95% of a race to see under 10 laps of actual racing when there is no chance of a "bad boy" spicing up the action?
ReplyDeleteThe good vs bad has been the mainstay of entertainment since I can remember. Cowboy movies and shows always had the good guy in a white hat and the bad guy in a black hat so we would know who to root for. For many years, the Oakland Raiders did the same thing for professional football and the Miami Hurricanes did it for colege football. Professional wrestling would not survive if there were not obviously bad guys for the fans to root against. We have not had a really good "bad guy" since Dale Sr. in his black car left us. Many of us were not Dale Sr. fans but we watched him every week to see what he would get by with as he intimidated or "gently" wrecked other drivers.
I think the Chase frustrations is what drove Kyle to his actions in the truck race. He was forced to drive not to lose points in the Chase rather than to win races and couldn't drive his normal race.
Wondering, has anyone herd anything from DW? It was all KB worship during the first of the season.
ReplyDeleteTo me, this is more about NASCAR asserting their authority than Kyle Bush overstepping the line (which I think he did). Everyone should have seen this coming after the fiasco at Martinsville last week. NASCAR had to do something to get control of the races again.
ReplyDeleteTony Stewart implored NASCAR in his post-race comments to take action against drivers retaliating under caution, and he used Jamie McMurray trying to wreck Brian Vickers as an example. Other drivers like Jeff Gordon and JJ agreed with him.
Believe it or not, Tony holds a lot of sway in the garage and the NASCAR hauler. And if the truth be told, a big part of "boys have at it" mentality from NASCAR officials came from Tony lobbying for the ability to police themselves on the track, something he has been talking about for years.
I have no doubt that NASCAR thought if an old school racer like Smoke said things were out of control, it was time to rein everyone back in.
tespo,
ReplyDeleteHe has been writing on Twitter. Here are some tweets from him:
Good Morning America and Twitterville,how are you,#"Boyshaveatit"has to be defined,there has to be lines drawn,#KyleBusch went too far !
there's one word that keeps #KyleBusch from being a great driver,R E S P E C T,without it you're never going to be a champion!
AllWaltrip Darrell Waltrip
my favorite quote,#BillFrance ask me one time, what happen out there,"I lost my temper",well,I'm here to help you find it,life's lessons !
JD, getting ready to watch NN. I do not believe for one second that KB wrote that statement, it sounds so PC and reviewed by lawyers. KB knew what he was doing when he did it to Ron H.Jr. Coach Gibbs should park him for the rest of the season, I know it is a bad situation for JGR. But you have to take the good with the bad. And that the way it is as of 0904 hrs 6Nov11.
ReplyDeletecorrection. and thats the way.....
ReplyDeleteforgot the "s"
watching mr. craven on nn. wow, this is just another reason to have craven on nn. it seems so honest and true. kb is a talented dvr, but no idea of respect or how to earn it.
ReplyDeleteOver the course of my career I have had occasion to compose a number of mea culpa statements. Mostly for others, but occasionally for myself.
ReplyDeleteKyBu's statement is, in my judgement a good one, but it could be better.
Less is usually more when writing one; prioritizing acknowledgement of harm and contrition is vital and if you "want to" express a sentiment you should just do it with no qualifiers (the "frog-on-a-log-principle" -- a frog on a log that wants to jump in the water is still on the log.
Here, then, is how I would have edited the letter (provided the HTML tags work properly).Words in bold are added or moved. Words in italics are stricken:
To all,
I’ve had a lot of time today to sit and reflect, and try to put my thoughts into words as best I can.
I want to sincerely apologize for my actions during Friday night’s Truck Series race at Texas.
I’d also like to I apologize to Ron Hornaday Jr., and everyone associated with the No. 33 team in the Truck Series.
I apologize to my fans, all my sponsors, everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing and Kyle Busch Motorsports.
After talking with my team, it’s great to have their support. and encouragement to assure me that there are better days ahead. Even though this took place while driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports, I am sorry for how difficult this has been for everyone associated with Joe Gibbs Racing’s Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series teams.
I’d also like to apologize to Ron Hornaday Jr., and everyone associated with the No. 33 team in the Truck Series.
I understand why I was taken out of the car for the rest of the weekend. NASCAR officials had to act. , and I accept their punishment and take full responsibility for my actions.
As a racecar driver, the hardest thing to do is to sit on the sidelines listening to cars on the track when you know you should be out there competing. For this, I have no one to blame but myself.
Through the a lot of support from the people around me, I feel like I’ve made a lot of strides this year, but this was certainly a step backward. Moving forward, I will do everything I possibly can to represent everyone involved in a positive manner. However, I know my long-term actions will have more of a bearing than anything I say right now.
Sincerely,
Kyle Busch
As for my opinion of the statement's veracity I can rely only upon his closing. It is up to him and as one of his fans I want him to succeed.
Not to excuse his behavior, for there is no excuse, I can but say he is 26 and I was called upon to make my most recent formal apology when I was in my 50's.
Boy has a way to go yet.
Thanks JD!
ReplyDeleteThat shows us DW's wisdom and "RESPECT" he has for the sport. I dont think KB will ever get it!
From NASCAR Now this AM:
ReplyDeleteAndy Petree: "There may be a decision Joe Gibbs has to make to keep Kyle Busch or keep a sponsor."
Ricky Craven: "I don't think drivers care what Kyle Busch has to say for the next month or two. He's lost credibility."
Dale Jarrett suggested Busch may be parked by either NASCAR or JGR for an extended period.
I'm watching NASCAR Now on ESPN2 right now. Shouldn't Mike Massaro be shouting?
ReplyDeleteKB's apology letter was written on 2 ply absorbent Cottonelle
ReplyDeleteKyle has spoken. He's voiced his apologies to mostly every one-except for KHI Racing (as a fellow owner, that should have been in there)-he's been parked.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that Kyle can do now, is to try to earn back the respect of not only his fellow racers, but his fellow owners and his sponsors. And the only way to to do that is through his own actions.
This maybe the wakeup call that this very talented young man needs to further his career and get his first championship. But if not, then if I was JGR or Mars, I'd think twice about giving him a weapon to be used against someone else.
He is not sorry, he is not remorseful, look at his interview from Friday night. Hes only sorry that he got suspended. Thats what I took from that letter.
ReplyDeleteThe thought that m&m's may dump him is lunacy. If they dump Kyle who are they going to get that can win races? There are not many drivers who can win multiple races every year. Dumping him would be a major mistake. They (m&m's and Gibbs) need to take more responsiblilty and quit letting the kid run wild in series hes not supposed to be in. They need to reign him in, because Kyle cant control himself.
I dont think he'll be suspended from Cup and Nationwide for the rest of the year, but I would like to see him banned from Nationwide and Truck for the rest of 2011, so he cant interfere in the championship battles even more than he already does.
M&M's USA Facebook page:
ReplyDelete"The recent actions by Kyle Busch are not consistent with the values of M&M'S and we're very disappointed. Like you, we hold those who represent our brand to a higher standard and we have expressed our concerns directly to Joe Gibbs Racing."
There is another shoe about to drop.
sbaker17 said...
ReplyDeleteI have had the opportunity in the past to deal with the M&M corporation on a professional level. The individuals I dealt with were from several different locations within the US and from several different disciplines within the M&M corporation. ALL of the M&M personnel I had the privilege to meet were some of the best and nicest people to work with that one could hope for . I am guessing that the way that these people presented themselves came from the overall M&M operating philosophy. And with that philosophy in mind, I am also guessing that KB is in deep chocolate as far as continued sponsorship from M&Ms is concerned.
November 5, 2011 6:30 PM
PR writers to the max!
ReplyDeleteThere is no way Kyle wrote that letter of course. You don't go from being the arrogant brat 20 minutes after that wreck to such an apologetic note showing he's truly remorseful.
No doubt his boss/sponsors have put the pressure on.
I'd like to see DW on Wind tunnel tonight. Some of his best interviews have been with Dave Despain. Not sure why.
anon 6:11 - that was my reaction to that statement as well. He's got PR people who can write well - unfortunately KyBu's consistent unsportsmanlike behavior speaks far louder than that PR drivel.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was amusing earlier in the year when so many of the media was talking about how "mature" KyBu is. For myself I just didn't see it - he wrecked a bunch of people over the season in the truck races - while he was playing around - teams that didn't have the funding or high profile sponsorship that he has.
I'm only sorry that Hornaday didn't whip is candy *ss.
I normally don't watch Raceday, I'll tune in and see how much of Kenny I can tolerate.
West Coast Diane said:
ReplyDeleteJoe Menzer has an article on the Kyle B situation on NASCAR.com. Saw it last night linked on Tweeter.
Good article and Kenny Wallace is quoted with a story he tells when he was black flagged during a race and chose to ignore it and a visit to the hauler.
I'm thinking he will tell the story on Race Day. Hopefully the "serious racer" Kenny & not the "goofy, over the top" Kenny.
OK it's pile on KB day today, at least the rest of us don't have cameras on us when we "lose it".
ReplyDeleteDon't anyone forget that JGR and Mars knew or should have known who KB is or was when they hired him.
And to think that they would fire him with all this free advertising? And to think that a NFL football coach would fire someone for their indiscretions is absurd. KB doesn’t carry a loaded hand gun to a night club.
He makes them money, wins and is one of the most popular drivers right now. They will all be angry and humble, slap him on the wrist (and on the behind) and tell him to get back out there and win.
Or if he does get fired doesn't anybody think that he'll be quickly be picked up by another team?
John-just a heads up. Not all pub is good pub, which I'm sure you know. Also, I'm sure JGM & M&M expected Kyle to mature along the way. I haven't seen much evidence of that myself. And for the company to make a public statement about this incidence is very telling, imo. They have supposedly slapped Kyle's hand in private for past events. The crap may be hitting the fan in this instance. We shall see.
ReplyDeleteThe M&M's communique is very, very, very strong diplomatic language, yet kept one degree removed from direct attribution any individual in top Mars management.
ReplyDeleteThe response from Mars is the same one I got when I emailed them to complain about Kyle's reckless speeding through our community. I have not bought
ReplyDeleteany Mars products since then.
I wonder if the Gibbs' want their
kids to behave like Kyle?
I will read the comments in a minute, I gotta put this out there first.
ReplyDeleteKyBu is at the track, and rather than put his face on camera and apologize he issues a letter? Uh no. That is called a PR bit, I doubt if he even read it.
He should man up, and face the camera & fans so we can see if he is honestly sorry or spouting the party line.
I have lost a lot of respect for both KyBu & JGR & the Coach for this.
Three weeks ago I was told I have optic nerve damage consistent with glaucoma. Two weeks earlier I was told I need more extensive testing for cancer I thought I beat ten years ago. I will likely lose my job and health insurance next April. While everything could turn out to be false alarms I have more than enough drama. Do I want to spend two hours listening to people in glass houses throw stones? I don't have the luxury of spending four hours watching a race that is a glorified soap opera. NASCAR used to be fun. The blogs and forums were a place to argue about whose driver is the best. Twitter was a great place to hang out but now it has turned into a place to vent uncontrolled rage. This is bigger than KB. He deserved to be parked but fans making death threats against his wife and saying he "hurts" children and should not be allowed near them is outrageous. Watching the race would be a great diversion while I wait to find out what my future holds but this is no longer just a race. It is a hate fest.
ReplyDeleteI don't see where this is much different than the Carl/Brad war, other then it was done under caution. It is time the gray area is filled in and the drivers are made aware of it. "Boys have at it" is all good, but there has to be known limitations already.
ReplyDeleteAnon, it's completely impossible to try and tie your health struggles and the unlimited access the Internet provides to this topic or this blog.
ReplyDeleteThe reason I work Twitter, Facebook and this blog is because I can control access.
Like everything else in life, there are going to be plenty of people who do not fit with what you and I consider the "old ways" of debating drivers and the sport.
In the last five years, I have made a lot of friends and had some of the greatest conversations about the sport right here.
Use unfollow on twitter. Use Facebook where names are used by those commenting. Use this blog where no profanity or hate speech is allowed and I personally deal with those issues.
If you are done with the sport, then so be it. But please don't try to blame your issues and technology for NASCAR woes.
JD
Even though I am a KyBu fan I agree with both KP and Herm with the addition that KBR should take a hit as well He and his company should be fined out the wazoo on Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteIn my mind Kyle's offense was especially aggrivated by having occurred under caution and when the yellow is out it has a meaning absolutely no one can say they do not understand.
AR-I have been feeling bad for you this wk-end, knowing KyB is your driver.
ReplyDeleteThe SPEED Stage Truck Driver just tweeted the following:
ReplyDelete#NASCAR fans when at track have some dignity and respect our trucks and trailers we spend a lot of money and time on these units they are not port-a-jons
John in Chico...NFL players may not be fired for 'indiscretions'...but enough offenses and they will find themselves on the trading block before long. No one needs a player who is going to cost them penalty after penalty, or distract the team with repeated bad behavior or disagreement with teammates. We know who those guys are. Eventually, they wear out their welcome.
ReplyDeleteI have always agreed with Kyle P--that if KyB's maturity ever caught up with his talent, the other teams better look out. Well, even in working with two of the best owners in NASCAR, it still hasn't happened.
Frankly, when I watched Kyle's post event interview again, you could see the frustration. But most drivers seem to have this 'little voice' that tells them where the line is, and he doesn't seem to have it. As one of them said on Raceday, perhaps NASCAR learned that they did not go far enough with Carl at Atlanta...so they decided it was time to put their foot down.
Can I just say, Michael McDowell has been handling himself really well with the media attention--probably part of why they picked him. Hopefully a nice guy will finish well.
And I just want to say, the whole death threat thing is the nature of people....you have extremists, they're probably less than 1 percent of fans, and they are just trying to get attention. I may not like the guy, but I have tried to remember the good things. Giving money for Sam Ard comes to mind; that was nice. There just haven't been enough of them.
Check out M&M's Facebook page. It looks like comments are running 3 or 4 to 1 against Kyle.
ReplyDeleteDave, one year at Darlington working an ESPN race we started smelling smoke. I was closest to the door, so I unplugged my headset and leaned outside.
ReplyDeleteA drunk fan was peeing on our power supply. Some things never change!
Glen, that's called "keyboard courage!" Just dismiss that bunch and get on with life. Only way to survive in the Internet environment.
ReplyDeleteTrust me!
you know...I actually enjoyed that segment. Took some kahunas for Kyle to get on that bull. Unfortunately, it's not the most bull we've ever had on Raceday.
ReplyDeleteThe first 15-20 minutes of Raceday was top notch great reporting and analysis. Then it stooped to the ridiculous low of that bull riding stunt.Kyle Petty could have very easily been seriously injured if that went wrong.
ReplyDeleteCould not believe Kyle did that!
ReplyDeletePS - The live blog is up for the Cup race.
Frankly, I think 'the coach' SHOULD take responsibility for Kyle's actions in the truck race. He is supposed to be the great, calming influence, the voice of reason. Well, he certainly hasn't had much success with Kyle in that area. He knew what he was getting into when he hired him. He should have quashed this attitude long before it came to this.
ReplyDelete